There are numerous aids available to help people stop smoking - chewing gums, tablets, lozenges, and inhalers, for example. Even available in the market is Zyban, a drug that helps curtail nicotine cravings. But these quick remedies miss the most important aspect, the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind has incredible power and it can work wonders. Hypnotherapy makes effective use of the subconscious mind to cure smoking. Using hypnosis, the emotional and psychological problems of giving up smoking can be reduced or even erased alltogether. Hypnotherapy techniques include positive affirmations, autosuggestions and self hypnosis. Hypnotherapy is one of the cheapest of all treatments for stopping smoking. It enjoys a high success rate, too.

There are many myths associated with quitting smoking. People fear they will gain weight when they stop smoking cigarettes. Far from it, most often people lose weight and become more physically fit after quitting. Some people wrongly assume that stopping smoking has to bring on withdrawal and other psychological problems. Hypnotherapy helps to avoid these, and other problems people may be worried about when they quit.

A hypnotherapist first gathers information into your personal reasons for quitting smoking. Many people who want to quit smoking may not be psychologically prepared for it. The first task of the hypnotherapist is to convince your mind that you really want to quit. Hypnotherapy is augmented by simple exercises to divert your craving for cigarettes. Breathing exercises, a large glass of water, or a few seconds of mind concentration are often suggested.

The physical addiction is over after the first few days. The mental addiction lingers longer and often triggers people into going back to the habit. Seeing others smoke and falling into the habit because of a place or time where you smoked previously are typical triggers that tempt people to return to smoking. Defeatism is another common excuse. Many people smoke again because they ‘failed’ in this thing or that. People often deceive themselves, thinking it is possible to smoke a “just one” cigarette after they have quit. A series of autosuggestions can provide a way out of this vicious circle.